Media Girl commented on macho and conservatives the other day; she has since added to that discussion, and has been joined by the great folks over at Pandagon. I have
commented a number of times as to my observations/fears that the evidence of creeping fascism in this country is evidenced in the general crisis of masculinity at work in the U.S.
I’m a fan of Klaus Theweleit’s two-volume study: Male Fantasies. Theweleit builds an argument that links fascism with a hatred of the body, its desires, and its weaknesses.
Fascism, then, waged its battle against human desires by encoding them with a particular set of attributes: with effeminacy, unhealthiness, criminality, Jewishness–all of which existed together under the umbrella of “Bolshevism.”
If I re-write that particular sentence the following way:
Christo-Fascism, then, waged its battle against human desires by encoding them with a particular set of attributes: with effeminacy [as in lesbians/gays/feminists], unhealthiness [bogus claims about abortion causing breast cancer or condoms not preventing HIV or all STDs], criminality {street crime], Jewishness [I think Muslim is the new Jew for the time being]–all of which existed together under the umbrella of “Liberalism.”
It’s working for me. Does this analogy work for you?
Of course, not all women are evil: Christian women, who are subservient to their husbands, or else lunatics like Malkin or Coulter (doesn’t that look like Annie on the back of that rocket?)–they’re okay. But the rest of us are just fucked. So to speak.
More from Theweleit: all quotations from Vol II
Clearly, then, what the fascist understands by the term “unity” is a state in which oppressor and oppressed are violently combined to form a structure of domination. For him, unity denotes a relationship not of equality, but of domination. Equality is considered synonymous with multiplicity, mass–it thus the precise opposite of “unity,” since “unity” rigidly fuses these baser elements with what is “above them,” “interior” to “exterior,” and so on. Unity allows the soldier male access to pleasure; it protects him from the death of splitting or decomposition. What seems to hold the masculine-soldierly body together is his compulsion to oppress the body of another (or bodies, or the body in his own body). His relation to the bodies he subordinates is one of violence and, in extreme cases, of murder.
The concept of nation can be seen, then, as the most explicit foundation of male demands for domination…Nation is the opposite of mass, femininity, equality, sensuous pleasure, desire, and revolution.
The Bible shows on a consistent basis the impact that having a body has. And the Old Testament, with its God who does not even allow representations of him to exist (Thou Shalt not Make Any Graven Images…), emphasizes that NOT having a body is the way to power. The body is the key to destruction. The doorway to death. And we all know who opened that fucking door.
So, if you’re still following me on my meandering path here, we live in a nation whose President wants us to unite behind him while we defeat the evils of terrorism, Fundamentalist Christians who want us to give up all worldly pleasure unless it serves a heterosexual marriage-covenant to produce offspring, and a certain contingent in our country who still wants to kick someone’s ass for 9/11.
The president does not want a unity that comes from equality and civil rights; he wants a unity that comes from everyone subjugating themselves to the state, to our leaders, who know how to “stay the course,” and know what’s best for us. Only the troublemakers, sinners, and perverse don’t want to be part of this great unity. And, because pleasure leads us away from this subjugation–personal pleasure is selfish–we’ve got a “state” religion that emphasizes mortification of the flesh. And, as has been pointed out in a number of posts above, macho rhetoric is running crazy.
After listening to the Blow-Roviator the other day, my paranoia about being a mouthy woman in this country gets a little less tinfoil hat-based, and a hell of a lot more based on my understanding of history.
I’m waiting for the moment that Bush or Cheney or Rumsfeld feels compelled to whip out his member in public. But Jesus, is this getting tiresome.
Cross-posted at CultureKitchen
and, as such, will exhibit animalistic behaviours such as aggression and domination and competition for the reproductive rights for the female of the species.
Problem is that people also forget that we’ve evolved above knee-jerk, instinctual behaviour and that being the strongest male with the biggest penis is not necessary for survival in our human world.
The conservatives are suspicious of academia (although many of the highest ranking members are steeped in it (Yale, anyone?)), because it teaches that thoughtful rationalization can trump atavistic tendencies to violence.
Yeah this makes sense. I wonder if a lack of empathy and social responsibility, and a low emotional quotient could have something to do with neoconservatism in general and fascism in particular. You could have a very high IQ and be good at inductive reasoning and also have a low emotional IQ and use your intelligence to take over the world and rule with an iron fist. I just knew they were all sick bastards… sick and perverted.
other day. There was an article about the “New Virginity”. Now let me make clear that I don’t believe that there is anything weird or wrong about remaining celebate until marriage. I don’t think there is a thing wrong with taking sex a bit more seriously. In fact I see a lot of kids my children’s age being more discriminating if not remaining celebate and I think that is healthy.
But these you men were down right militant about the matter. They don’t even masterbate supposedly. They have these bracelets and they wear them only as long as they are not masterbating (I guess the celebacy is taken for granted). I really have to wonder how many of those young men are telling the truth on that matter.
Anyway, what got to me was how they kind of band together and make up ceremonies and rituals to keep each other from giving in. Their whole little movement seems to exclude women.
Then about a week ago I saw a documentary on PBS about this girl in TX who was the liberal daughter of very conservative Christian parents. She was also religious and they showed her at her Pormist Ceremony at her church. Her pastor is kind of a creep. But what amazed me was, here was this girl fighting her school board for sex ed which included birth control education . Her parents were opposed to what she was doing and would try to talk her out of it, but ultimately they were supportive. Her mother even showed up and an anti Fred Phelps rally and carried a sign, when she eventually took up the fight for a gay rights.
This fear and hatred of the body is frightening to me. Once you become so disconnected from your body that you won’t even acknowledge its natural drives, you start taking our your frustration on other people’s bodies.
You’ve hit the nail on the head.
insightful and accurate, as always.
The commonal denominator of fundamentalism is misogyny.
I’ve been thinking lately how much the current hysteria about the “others”–especially Muslims–is echoing the Red Scare hysteria of the years immediately following WWI. Supposedly there were evil Reds under every bed, just waiting their chance to ravish pure maidens and subjugate loyal Amurrkens to their socialist ways.
Just change the names to the ones in use now, and it’s the same argument. People are always afraid of what they don’t know, and it’s in the interests of governments, especially weak ones that want to retain power, to use that fear to demonize differences and keep the masses in line.
For whatever reasons, our culture has never learned, or taught, that fear is something to be acknowledged and dealt with, not something to hide from. And the neocons, and neo-fascists, use fear as a powerful weapon.
How much is the fear of the other really the distrust/fear of the self?
Does a lot of really strange things. I had a battle with anorexia a very long time ago now, seventeen years ago. I was very fortunate to have found someone at that time that really understood the basis for the behavior, it is about feelings/emotions and body being disconnected and trying to control a chaotic environment and despising one’s body. I suppose that is why I hate this Administration and everything they pump into our society so much. I guess for me it represents what I once had to fight and slay within or lose my own life…..and these disgusting sociopaths also have a lot of control of my spouse’s life so that doesn’t help me a lot either. Funny thing happened to me though once I began to love Tracy and Tracy’s body, suddenly I was able to love other people and respect their bodies. Seeing broken torn bodies began to register emotionally for me. Because I loved and respected what was mine I was able to have empathy for the same of others. Odd how all that worked together for me. Odd how these guys are so emotionally/mentally/fleshly disconnected and blowing the shit out of everybody with body parts all over the place. Since we all attempt to create in the outer world what we feel in our inner world….let me see…..I have a huge desert strewn with disrespected dismembered people and under all of it is black gold(riches). As angry as I am I am still so glad today that I am me and not one of those fuckers!
You have hit so many important issues here. I agree with you on all of them. Yes. Hatred of the body leads right to hell for everyone else, and as someone who has battled an eating disorder, it also included me. I still struggle with it.
What an amazing comment.